


Heads Out Of Their Asses

by lillytriestowrite



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Canon Divergence, F/M, Undercover AU, post-pod
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-30
Updated: 2015-06-30
Packaged: 2018-04-06 07:39:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4213497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lillytriestowrite/pseuds/lillytriestowrite
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is an undercover AU that takes place sometime after Jemma comes back from Hydra and her and Fitz are friends again. The whole thing with Skye and the Inhumans never happened. FitzSimmons goes undercover as a married couple and awkwardness/fluff ensues.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Heads Out Of Their Asses

**Author's Note:**

  * For [khatijahabdulsalam.tumblr.com](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=khatijahabdulsalam.tumblr.com).



> I wrote this for the fitzsimmons network less than 5K exchange on tumblr. Enjoy!

When Jemma pictured being married to Fitz (not that she’d pictured it before). she didn’t imagine it quite this. It’s not like it would be that hard, since they tended to act somewhat like a married couple (According to other people who were very, very wrong _)._ Though she was a little surprised when Coulson gave them the assignment. She’d gotten better at espionage since when she had first started at Shield, especially since she’d gotten back from being undercover at Hydra, so she wasn’t concerned about that. She was just a little worried that it would get weird. They still hadn’t talked about what Fitz said to her in the pod. For obvious reasons, she didn’t share these concerns with fitz. Things had just started to get back to normal with them, and she didn’t want to ruin that. She also just didn’t want to ruin his enthusiasm. He was so excited when he’d found out about the assignment. He’d started doing that rambling thing he did when he always did. She actually found it quite adorable, though she would never admit to it.

“So I’m thinking for backstory purposes-“

“Fitz.”

“Childhood sweethearts? Or… No! We could-“

“Fitz!”

“You only want one kid but I want two or three…”

“Leo!”

“Right. I’m rambling. Sorry...” He brought his hand up to scratch the back of his neck. “I just don’t want to mess this up. Fortunately I’m not as bad at lying as you are…” She slapped his arm playfully.

“Hey! I’ve gotten better.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah…” He chuckled.

“Fitzsimmons!” They jumped to attention. “Don’t worry about your cover story just yet. Right now I’ve got to brief you on the mission, so pay attention. And for the record, you’re both terrible liars.”

“Yes, sir,” they sighed in unison.

“So you know you’ll be going undercover as a married couple. You’ll be attending a party of one of the remaining Hydra heads, Vance Cromwell. Now, he thinks you’re just two young scientists trying to sell a device you’ve invented that is worth a whole lot of money. Skye has gotten you both invitations.

“You’re welcome.” Skye chucked the invitations at them. “ It wasn’t easy by the way. I had to do some serious hacking to get these. In fact-”

“Thank you Skye that will be all” Coulson said as he rolled his eyes in her direction. He looked back at Fitz and Simmons. “As I was saying, you’re going as a married couple because we need two people for the job, and going together draws less suspicion than both of you going separately. Fitz, you will be trying to sell your product to the buyer while Simmons plants the bugs. It shouldn’t be too difficult to be convincing, especially since you two are always bickering like an old married couple anyway.

“We most certainly do not,” Fitz grumbled under his breath. Coulson either ignored him or just hadn’t heard his remark.

“Basically you just have to be yourselves and you’ll be fine. Now go change into some party attire. And don't forget these.” He handed them the fake wedding bands. “You leave in thirty.”

✴   ✴   ✴

They both rushed to their respective bunks to change. It was a formal party so they had to dress up. Jemma was wearing a beautiful red dress that Skye had helped her pick out. It was form fitting, but still slightly modest as it went down to her ankles. Her hair settled in perfect waves on her shoulders. Fitz just threw on a tux and a navy bowtie. He didn’t tend to put much thought into things like this. Naturally, he was quicker to get ready so he waited for Jemma outside of her bunk. When she walked out he swore his jaw fell all the way to the floor. Even though she always looked beautiful, it was moments like these that always seemed to stun him into silence. He stared for just a beat too long.

When Jemma saw him staring silently at her she panicked for a moment. She knew she should’ve worn the purple. _Bloody hell_ … And of course he looked as handsome as ever in the tux. Now that she thought about he looked handsome all the time… _Bollocks_ , now she was staring at him. _Focus Jemma!_ “It looks silly doesn’t it! I should get a different-”

“Jemma, calm down. You look beautiful.” She blushed and looked down at her feet.

“Thank you, Fitz.” He avoided her gaze.

“Besides, we have to go. We’re about to land.” As they buckled up for the descent, they kept stealing glances at each other while Skye pretended not to notice.

“Ugh, those two are killing me,” she whispered to Coulson. “Maybe this mission will help both of them get their heads out of their asses and finally talk about their feelings…”

“Their main focus should be on the mission.” Skye raised her eyebrows at him.

“But…?”

“If they happen to get their heads out of their asses in the process, I won’t complain.”

“That’s what I thought, AC.”

✴   ✴   ✴

“We can do this, right Fitz?” They were walking up to the mansion where the party was being held.

“Of course we can…” he tugged at his collar nervously.

“You don’t seem too convinced of that.” She gave him a once over as they stepped onto the front lawn. “Oh, Fitz, you’re bow tie is crooked!” She faced him to adjust it. Suddenly Fitz was acutely aware of her warm breath on his face, but he elected to ignore the feeling it gave him. “There! Perfect. Alright, we’ve got this. Now remember Fitz, we strike up a conversation with Cromwell, and after a few minutes I’ll excuse myself to go to the bathroom and place the bugs in his office. Once I’ve finished I’ll let you know on the comms and then we’re out of there, no problem. You just have to stall him for as long as I’m gone, which should be easy because you never shut up.” Fitz started to make a defensive comment but by now they had reached the entrance and had to give the security guard their invitations. _This is it_ , Fitz thought anxiously, there was no backing out of this. As of right now, They were Mr. and Mrs. Fitzsimmons. He gulped and looked down at the ring on his finger. This was going to be an interesting night.

As they entered the party, Fitz took Jemma’s arm. She was caught a bit off guard at first but then she remembered they were supposed to be married. _Right. Undercover. We’re married._ The thought prompted her to pull Fitz in the direction of the dance floor.

“Jemma, where are we…” _Oh no_ , he thought as he realized where she was leading him. It’s not that he didn't know how to dance, he was actually quite good. But dancing with Jemma? That was a whole other story. “Shouldn’t we be trying to make conversation with Cromwell?”

“Yeah, but it would look a little suspicious since we just got here. We should try to blend in first, don’t you think? What, are you afraid of a little dancing?”

“No! I’ll have you know that I’m a very good dancer. Those dance lessons my mother forced me into when I was a kid weren’t for nothing.” Without warning Jemma felt a strong hand on her waist and another grabbing her hand. She tried to ignore the shiver that went down her spine from his touch. As they started to sway to the music she realized that she had never danced with Fitz before. At least not like this. Suddenly she felt… nervous? It’s not like they’d never had physical contact before, but something about this time was different. She didn’t realize it, oblivious as she was, that Fitz was feeling equally nervous. _Shite, why did you have to bring up the dance lessons? Stupid Fitz! Why am I so nervous right now, it’s just Simmons. She doesn’t like feel the same way, she made that clear._ At least, he thought she had made it clear. But lately he had no idea what was going through her head. He ruminated on this for a bit before his train of thought was interrupted.

“This is actually quite fun, don’t you think Fitz?” The truth is, she could’ve stayed like this all night. But they still had a job to do.

“Jemma, over there.” He nodded his head towards the other side of the room where Cromwell was standing near the beverages, not talking to anyone. He was tall and threatening, but handsome. He seemed to give off the typical “bad guy” vibe. Jemma glanced over and they made brief eye contact. _Shit._

“Fitz, I think he noticed us staring!”

“I’m sure it’s fine”

“I think we should kiss!” She didn’t know why she said it, it just came tumbling out of her mouth like word vomit.

“What! W-why?,” he stammered. She started to rationalize it in her head, mostly to prove to herself that she didn’t just want an excuse to kiss Fitz. _It’s perfectly logical for a couple to kiss at party. I just want to be convincing._ “He has to believe we’re a couple, I just think we could try a little harder to sell it. But if the idea is so repulsive to yo-” He cut her off by kissing her. A small gasp escaped her mouth as their lips met. She instinctively wrapped her hands around his neck and he reached up one hand to cup her cheek, still holding her waist with the other. After about ten seconds they pulled apart, both slightly out of breath. They stared at each other for a beat, both blushing, before starting to sputter incoherently over each other.

“Sorry! I just… you said-”

“No it’s, it was my idea, you-”

“We should go talk to Cromwell,” he practically shouted.

“Right. Yes. Cromwell.” They walked in the direction of beverage table silently, neither daring to say anything about what just happened. They both knew that they couldn’t ignore it this time, but it would have to wait until they got back to the bus. They approached Cromwell and Jemma spoke first. “You throw a very impressive party Mr. Cromwell.

“Please, call me Vance. And you are…?”  
“Oh silly me, where are my manners. I’m Jemma and this is my husband, Leo.” Fitz tried not to cringe at the sound of his first name. God, he hated that name.

“Pleasure to meet you.” He reached out to shake the man’s hand. He towered over Fitz.

“So, what exactly do you two do?”

“I’m an engineer and she’s a biochemist. We work together making high-tech espionage equipment.”

“Ah, so you’re married and you work together. You must get sick of each other sometimes,” he chuckled.

“Not really, no” Fitz responded.

“Yes, we work quite well together, actually” Jemma continued.

“That’s one of the reasons why I love her so much.”

“How sweet,” Cromwell responded. But Fitz didn’t hear him, because he was still registering what he had just said. _I just said I loved Jemma. Out loud. In front of her._ Jemma was also trying to register what he had just said, but she was in such shock she could barely think. She knew they were posing as a married couple, but he had sounded so sincere. She decided to take this opportunity to excuse herself. The sooner they got done with this mission the better.

“Excuse me, I have to use the ladies room.” _What the hell just happened!?_

✴   ✴   ✴

As Jemma wandered around looking for Cromwell’s office, she couldn’t stop thinking about what Fitz had said moments earlier, the look in his eyes as he said it. I mean, what he’d said to her at the bottom of the ocean had shocked her, sure. But he’d never just outright said he loved her. Not to mention the whole kissing thing that happened earlier. This changed everything, providing he had actually meant what he said. When she came back from being undercover at Hydra she finally had her feelings straight. She knew she cared about Fitz as more than a friend. But Fitz wouldn’t talk to her so she assumed he didn’t feel that way anymore. Now she wasn’t so sure. She wasn’t sure of anything anymore.

✴   ✴   ✴

As Jemma walked away without looking at him, Fitz realized he had messed up. Big time. _Fitz, you complete git. Things were just getting back to normal, you had your best friend back. Now you’ve gone and mucked it all up! Of course she’s going to know you weren’t pretending, she can see right through you._

“What have I done?”

“Pardon?” Fitz was jolted back to reality when he realized he had said that last thought aloud.

“Er… what have I done! I forgot to tell you about our latest product, silly me! You see it’s a simple…”

✴   ✴   ✴

“Fitz, it’s done.” She hoped the comms were working, but she he knew he couldn’t respond either way. Jemma looked at her watch anxiously as she entered the ballroom. She had been gone ten minutes, which might arouse suspicion. Luckily the house was so big she could say she got lost looking for the bathroom. She found Fitz standing in the same place she’d left him, still talking to Cromwell. He briefly locked eyes with her to let her know he had gotten her message. _Thank god, now we can get out of here._

“Jemma, I was just telling Vance here about our latest Product. He’s very interested in buying it.”

“That’s great! Oh my gosh, honey, look at the time. I’m so sorry Vance but I’m afraid we have to go.”

“Leaving so soon? The party has barely started!”

“It’s just that… we have a…” she grasped for an excuse “a very early flight to catch tomorrow.”

“Oh yes, that’s right. I completely forgot,” Fitz played along. “But you have our contact information so you can get in touch with us about a possible transaction.”

“You can count on that.”

“Thank you Vance, it was a lovely party. She practically sprinted in the direction of the exit. “Let’s get the hell out of here,” she whispered once they were out of earshot.

✴   ✴   ✴

Once they got off the property it was a short walk back to the bus. They walked in silence for a few minutes until Fitz spoke.

“You know, that wasn’t so bad.”

“Well, we weren’t made, and we didn’t die, so I guess I’d call it a success.”

“Right.” He could feel the awkwardness in the air. He knew he had to say something. “Look, Jemma, I’m sorry about everything that happened in there, I know it got a little weird with the whole kissing thing and-”

“Fitz, stop! You have nothing to apologize for, you were just trying to sell our cover. I know none of it was real.” He could’ve sworn he heard a hint of disappointment in her voice, which just confused him even more.

“You see, that’s the thing though, Jemma…” Here goes nothing. “it was real.” She gaped at him. There it was. The elephant in the room. And Fitz had just acknowledged it.

“Wha.. what do you mean?”

“Oh, come on, Jemma. You know what I mean. Don’t make me say it again. I’m embarrassed enough as it is.” She couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

“Why would you be embarrassed?”

“Because...you were acting in there but I wasn’t!” There was a pause that seemed to last ages as Jemma took in his words.

“ _Oh._ ” It suddenly dawned on her that there had been some serious miscommunication between them. “But Fitz, I thought you didn’t feel that way…”

“We were in the same pod when Ward dropped us out of the sky, right? Or did I hallucinate that whole thing?”

“I remember what you said, but after I got back from Hydra you didn’t talk to me, so I thought your feelings had gone away. I thought maybe you just said it because you thought you were going to die, that you didn’t actually mean it.”

“Yeah I was mad at you for leaving, Jemma. But that doesn’t mean my feelings just went away.”

“Well, why didn’t you talk to me about it?’

“At the time I thought you didn’t want anything to do with me anymore…”

“I thought the same. I thought you would never forgive me for leaving.”

“Jemma, I’ll always forgive you. No matter what happens, you’re my best friend in the world.”

“Fitz, I…” She didn’t even know where to begin, so she just took his head in her hands and kissed him instead. It was soft and slow. Not as exciting as the first one of the night, but more hopeful. She pulled back, touching her forehead to his. He gave her an exuberant smile.

“So just to be clear, that was real?”

“Yes Fitz,” she laughed, “that was real.”

✴   ✴   ✴

Back on the bus, Coulson congratulated them on a job well done. The mission had been completed without any major issues, which was rare to say the least. It appeared to be an ordinary night on the bus. But Skye knew something had changed, the way Fitz and Simmons kept gazing at each other. She looked at the two extra-happy nerds on the couch then raised her eyebrows at Coulson.

“What did I tell ya?”

“What?”

“Oh nothing. I just think certain people’s heads were removed from their asses tonight.”

“Whatever you say, Skye.”

“Don’t pretend you don’t love it.” She said, elbowing him in the ribs.

“I don’t know what you mean,” he said, walking to his bunk

“Just keep telling yourself that, AC.”

“Goodnight Skye.”  He shut the door and let out an exasperated sigh. _It’s about time._

 

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